Life, Death, and Love: The Story of a CityBoy
by blaze9754
Summary: Hunter's life is going pretty downhill. Kicked out of school, fired from work, and now his father's dead. But what happens when he finds not one, but two loves at his dad's farm? Please Read and Review!
1. Bad Beginnings, Worse News

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**Disclaimer:** Okay, so I do not own Harvest Moon, that's Marvolous Inc Natsume. I also do not own any of the Harvest Moon Characters, including: Jack, Celia, Muffy, Nami, Rock, Takakura, etcetera. So basically I don't own anything Harvest Moon businessy, except for a copy of the game. I'm not trying to offend Natsume by twisting the basic story and blah blah blah.

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"_I swear, Lena, I'll be back next year," said Jesse, giving his wife a quick kiss on the cheek. "Okay, please be careful, Jesse," Lena said. Jesse was packing up his rucksack when his daughter, Rachel, entered the room. _

"_Daddy, aw you weaving us again, daddy?"_

"_Only for a little while, Rachel. I promise when you get older you and Hunter can come visit the farm with me, okay?"_

"_Yay!"_

"_I'm off now. Hunter you watch over your mother and sister while Dad's away, okay? Rachel you be a good girl and always listen to your brother and momma. And Lena, I promise, I'll be back by next year," Jesse said, walking out of the door._

**3 Years Later**

Hunter was outside playing jacks with his sister, Rachel. Hunter's 16th birthday was just a few days ahead. He wondered what had become of his father. He said he'd come back in a year. It's been three years. Where was he? "Children, come inside. I've just received a letter from your father!" called Lena.

Rachel and Hunter ran into the house, where they met there mother sitting in the big red armchair. "Can I see the letter, Mom?" he asked. Hunter took the letter and read.

_Dear Family,_

_I'm sorry I haven't returned as soon as I said I would. There have been problems at the village and the farm. There were two tornados that visited the village. The year I was supposed to come back was when the first tornado hit and the year after that a second one hit. The damages weren't easy to repair. I couldn't just leave the village and farm like that. Takakura and I have been helping the rest of the villagers rebuild their houses. You remember Takakura, right? The farm was completely blown away and most of the animals were dead._

_Everyone is in distress. The local hotel, The Inner Inn, collapsed while we were trying to repair it and a man was killed inside. Everything is in total destruction. I'll try to come home by Rachel's 8th birthday. And happy birthday Hunter. I sent you a present in the second envelope and Rachel your gift is in the yellow package. I'm very sorry Lena; I'm trying to come home as soon as I can._

_Love,_

_Dad_

"D'you think he'll be okay, mom?" asked Hunter. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's a strong man, your father. Did I ever tell you about the time your father rescued me from a mudslide?" she asked. "No you haven't! Tell us, Momma! Tell us!" exclaimed Rachel, popping with excitement. "Okay then, come sit down on the rug," said Lena, motioning them to the soft cream-white rug. The children immediately scrambled forward for a spot on the warm rug. "It was a really stormy night. The rain was pouring everywhere…"

**4 Years Later**

"A tennis ball of diameter 1 has a disk inside it, sewn in along the equator. It is tossed around and lands in a random orientation. The disk projects down to an ellipse, with major axis of length 1. What is the expected length of the minor axis? Okay, Hunter" said the teacher. Hunter was staring out the window, thinking yet again about his father. He wondered if the repairs in the village were finished? "Hunter? HUNTER!" yelled the teacher. "Huh?" Hunter snapped his attention back. "What is the answer to the problem?" questioned the teacher. "Could you repeat it again Mrs. Stout?" he asked. But even after she repeated the question, Hunter still didn't know the answer. A few of the students snickered. "Well, Mr. Samuels? Do you have our answer?" the teacher asked, getting impatient. "Um, I don't know the answer, ma'am" he said, turning red. "Well that would explain your poor work on yesterday's quiz. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Would anyone paying attention supply the answer to this math problem?" she asked the crowd. A boy in the front row shot his hand up in the air. "Yes, Mr. Higgins?" she asked the skinny boy up front. "A half, ma'am. You see it is a simple process. Restating the problem using the ellipses, look at a random direction in a sphere, with the disk being normal to the random radius. Using spherical coordinates, the length of the projected minor axis is Abs sin(π/2 - φ) when φ is the angle from the vertical axis. Finding the average, then, is an integral with integrand equal to Abs π × sin(2φ), then divided by the area of the surface of the sphere gives us ½," stated the scrawny boy. "Very good, Mr. Higgins!" beamed the teacher. One of the boys in the back row threw a crumpled up paper ball at the boy. "Detention, Mr. Stevens, I don't want any paper throwing in my room. Class dismissed!" said Mrs Stout.

While Hunter walked down the school halls, a lot of the guys teased him and shot out insults like "Hey, no brain!" and "Didja ever consider getting a brain transplant!" But what really got him angry was when a husky boy surrounded by students called out "Hey, Stupid! Why don't you just quit school and crawl back to your farm with your dum-dum daddy? 'Cuz that's what cha are! Right boys? Little Hunty-Wunty's a dum-dum like his dum-dum father! HA HA HA HA-ARRG" In one swift move, Hunter had pinned the boy up against the lockers by his neck. "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH! DON'T YOU DARE INSULT MY DAD! YOU FAT PIECE OF FILTH! YOU DESPICABLE PILE OF-" Hunter had been beating up the boy when a hand gruffly grabbed him by the collar from behind. It was the Dean. "HUNTER! You don't beat up students just like that! I want to see you down in my office! NOW!" said the Dean.

The husky boy sniggered with his friends as Hunter slumped down the hall towards the dean's office. He then realized he had given the boy a black eye, a bloody nose, and a few bruises. He was quite satisfied with himself, even though he knew he shouldn't be. _"What were you thinking! Why are you happy! You beat up a student! What do you think your dad will say!"_ scolded his conscience. Hunter walked into the office. It was very bright. The lights were almost blinding. The walls were colored a shade of jade green, with framed certificates plastering the walls. There was also a glass apple on the desk, with "Dean of the Year" engraved on it. "Why in the world did you attack Conner! Hunter! I'm speaking to you! You can't just start beating up a student like that! Why did you do that!" shouted the Dean "He just said something," mumbled Hunter. He hoped that the Dean wouldn't ask what. The Dean calmed down. "Do you know what I got this for?" the Dean asked, picking up the glass apple. He didn't wait for an answer. "I received this from the Board of Education for keeping this school violence-free. I'm very sorry, Hunter, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to expel you for this. I do not tolerate violence in this college," said the Dean.

Hunter was shocked. _WHAT! You're expelling me for kicking that guy's ass! Do you have any idea what you're "students" are like here! You think that isn't violence!_ But no words came out. "Please leave my office. Starting tomorrow, you are not permitted to come back to this college," said the Dean. Hunter walked out of the office. He felt very numb. He couldn't even hear the crowd of students that stood outside of the office jeering at him. All he could hear was those two words. _You're expelled._ He just sat quietly through his last classes.

On the way to his apartment, he saw two boys throwing rocks at the window. "Hunter! It's us! Roy and Jimmy! Hunterrrrrr! Open up!" they yelled. "Guys I'm over here," sighed Hunter. The boys immediately stopping throwing and turned around. They ran towards him, with excited faces. "Hey, Hunter! Everybody says that cha got expelled! Is it true, Hunter? Huh, is it? What was the Dean's office like? Did he shoot flames from his nostrils? Did he?" they asked excitedly. "Guys, I'm really not in the mood to talk, but yeah, I did get expelled," he said, sighing even more. Hunter sulked up to his cramped apartment. It was very small, considering he didn't get paid much. There were only two rooms. A bedroom and living room combined and a kitchen. He plopped himself on the lumpy armchair and put his hands on his face. Hunter wondered how he'd tell his mom. Or his dad. He wondered why his father hadn't written to him yet. _Duh! You never checked the mailbox!_ "Gawd, I'm slow. His letter's probably in the mailbox," Hunter scolded himself.

He ran outside towards, but tripped and fell at the last minute. He cursed himself and got up to see what he slipped on. It was one of Roy and Jimmy's rocks. At first Hunter was angry, but then dismissed the emotion and headed toward the mailbox. The red plastic flag was up. Something was in there. It could be a letter. A letter from his father. He could finally be coming home. Hunter calmed himself and opened the mailbox. There was a whole jumble of letters and a red package. He took the bundle and walked up the stairs into his apartment, carefully stepping over the rock that he tripped on. This time he sat on the bed at took a look at the mail.

There were some water and electricity bills, a letter from his mom asking how college was (Hunter shuddered at the thought of college), a letter from his sister, Rachel, and a letter from his dad taped onto the red package. He decided to read the letter before opening the package.

_Dear Hunter,_

_How are you? I have great news! The reconstruction of Forget-Me-Not-Valley is finished. Everything looks great! I'll be taking the train to come back home tomorrow. I'll probably be there around 5 o'clock. I've already sent a letter to your mother and Rachel. Oh, I've also left something very important for you in the red box. It's something every young man needs, but I'll explain it more when I come home tomorrow. See you soon._

_Dad_

Hunter wondered what it could be. He started tearing apart the wrappings and found a light blue feather sitting on a red velvet cushion. _Why in the world would I need a feather? What purpose could it possibly serve me? _He mulled it over for a few more minutes and went to bed.

The next morning Hunter went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. All there was were a half full carton of eggs, some sliced bologna, and milk in the fridge. He turned on the stove and decided to make some fried eggs. Hunter wondered what he'd do until work. Hunter sat in the couch and flipped through the channels on his small broken down TV. Not too long later did he find that he had fallen asleep on the couch. It was already 4:36; his dad would be coming in a half hour.

Hunter gave himself a shower and put on his cleanest shirt. He drove his beat-up Jeep to the train station and waited at the "Arriving" port. "Hmm, it's 5:27, wonder were he is. It's getting late and I already missed work," he said, with a worried expression. Then, just as the train arrived, people started pouring out. Among those people was a man about his father's age. The man had black hair drawn back, a firmly built body, and was wearing some old jeans with a white shirt. But for his facial features, Hunter saw the hugest eyebrows that he could ever imagine. The man walked towards him. "Hello. You must be Hunter. Yes, you dad told me a lot 'bout you. I'm Takakura by the way, your dad's friend at the farm," he said, shaking Hunter's hand. "Oh…uh yeah, my dad sent a letter about coming today. Do you know where he is?" Hunter questioned. "Oh, yes about that, well your father…he's um…I think it's best if I tell you at your apartment," Takakura said, looking down. "W-where's m-my dad?" stuttered Hunter, trying to sound confident. But Takakura just kept quiet and led him to his apartment.

Once in the building, Hunter blurted out "Where's my dad? What happened to him? I know you know what happened! Tell me! Where is my father?" He was trying to keep his balance from falling because he was shaking so much. Takakura walked towards his lumpy couch and told him that it was best if he sat down. Hunter sat down, still shaking. Takakura gathered his breath and said to him "Hunter, there is no easy way to tell you this, but your father…. your father is…well he's…he's….Hunter, your father's dead."


	2. Out of Breath

"W-what? N-no. Y-you're wrong. Y-you're just trying t-to mess with m-me," Hunter stuttered, shaking even more. "I'm sorry, Hunter, but I'm not trying to mess with you. You're fatherreally isdead. He was about to get on the train, when another tornado hit. It didn't really destroy anything, except a house at the edge of the Valley. There was a man inside the house that was stuck and the tornado was heading towards him. Your father went after the man and got him out, but ended up dying in the process. By the time your dad got the man out, he got stuck in the house himself. But the man didn't bother to go back for your father like he did for him. He just ran. Your father got thrown with the rest of the house and was found later up in the forest spring," Takakura explained solemnly.

Hunter just sat there. He was number than he was yesterday. _He's dead? He can't be dead! He was coming home today! No!_ He was in total denial. But then Takakura's voice called him out of his thoughts and misery. "Your father wanted you to take over the farm though. It was in the will he left behind at the Valley. He said he wanted to pass it onto you when he….died. So tomorrow I'll come by and take you to Forget-Me-Not Valley to show you around. Try to get some rest," he said. Takakura left the apartment, leaving Hunter in his thoughts.

Hunter didn't feel like eating anything. It was only 6:26; he didn't know what to do. There were so many emotions in him right now. Hatred toward that man who didn't help his dad. Grief that he lost his father. Rage at the tornado. Numbness. Anger at Takakura for telling him. Hunter decided to go to Mother's Peak, a cliff where he usually went when he needed time alone.

"Great. First I get booted out of college and now my dad dies. What are you playing at? Why'd you take him? He wasn't ready!" Hunter yelled into the unforgiving sky. Of course it didn't answer back. He just sat there. He never stopped shaking, even when he went to bed.

The next morning, Hunter packed up all his belongings. He took all his clothes, books, and junk into a few boxes. He didn't have much anyway. Hunter took one last look at his apartment and went out the door to find Takakura waiting for him. "You ready?" he asked. Hunter gave a nod and they were off.

"We're stopping by your mother's house first. You should say your goodbyes before you leave. Oh, and your sister will be there too," he said, grunting a little. "Aren't we using the car to get there?" Hunter asked, panting a little. "No. You gonna be workin' on a farm, boy. There aren't any cars there, so you'd better get used to it now," Takakura said, keeping his eyes up ahead. Takakura kind of reminded Hunter of a gorilla, with those really big eyebrows and his grunting all the time. Hunter chuckled to himself.

By the time they reached the house, Hunter was breathing really hard and sweating. Takakura, however, was completely calm and dry. "Hunter, oh gawd, when I got the news I was thinking you were going to…" Lena trailed off. "What? That I was going to go after that jackass and hang him?" he said, his anger rising. "Hunter! Please watch your mouth! Rachel-" she said before Takakura cut in. "Lena, she's going to learn anyway," he grunted. Hunter and Takakura both laughed at this. "It's not funny! Really, though, you should take some food with you to the farm, Hunter. I made you some cakes and soups and some sashimi," she said, giving him a bundle of food enclosed in saran wrap.

"Thanks, mom. Well, I'd better get going. Bye," said Hunter, leaving the house. "Don't forget to right, Hunter!" Lena said. Hunter was halfway to the train station, when he heard a girl calling. "Hunter! Hunter! Wait for me!" she called out. Hunter turned around; it was Rachel. "Hey, sis, what's up?" he asked, picking Rachel up. "You forgot to say bye to me," she said, pouting a little. "I'm sorry, Rach, mom said you were still sleeping and I didn't want to wake you," he said, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Here, I got this for you with my allowance," Rachel said handing him a necklace made of string and a wooden cross. "So you can remember me at the farm," she stated, proudly. "It's great, thanks Rachel," he said, putting her back down.

Again, as they reached the train station, Hunter was panting and sweating. "Get on the train, I'll take care of the luggage," Takakura grunted, lifting the boxes. Hunter walked into the air-conditioned train and found a seat near the front. No later did he find that Takakura had found a seat across from him.

Takakura looked out the window, a gruff expression on his face, and his arms folded. "Would you like anything from the cart, sir?" asked an attendant, pushing a cart loaded with tons of food. There were salads, soups, cakes, sashimi, pies, and more. "Ummm…I'll have sashimi and some strawberry cake," said Hunter, taking out some gold. "Takakura, uh, do you want anything?" he asked. But Takakura just kept his arms folded and eyes out the window. Hunter felt awkward for a minute, but before he could ask again, the cart rolled away.

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**Author's Note: **Okay, so this was a really short chapter; I'm sorry! So in this chapter, Hunter, as everyone can see, is very out of shape. Also, I bet you think my story is very very very boring, right? Well it won't be for long! Please keep reading and reviewing! I'm just building dramatic something or other.

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	3. New Guy, Old People

"Hunter, wake up, we're here," grunted Takakura, roughly pulling Hunter up to his feet. Takakura helped Hunter carry his bags and led him out of the train. "Where are we? I thought I was supposed to inherit a farm in the Valley?" he queried, looking around the town. "Calm down. We're in Mineral Town. I just have to pick up something for you," Takakura grunted. Soon enough, they came to a little store, where a very pretty girl with long brown hair and blonde highlights was standing outside. "Takakura, I'll wait for you outside, okay?" Hunter said, eyeing the girl with interest. But he just grunted in reply. "Uh, hi, uh my name's Hunter," he said, feeling nervous. She turned around. Hunter was stunned. All he could do was stare. "What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked. "N-no, y-you're eyes, th-they shine like two bright emeralds on an angel's face," he said, his face getting red of stupidity. _Two emeralds on an angel's face? Could you be any cornier? _"Hmmm, not bad for a beginner, but just a little corny, don't you think?" she asked, giggling a little. Hunter felt his face go so red, that he thought it was on fire. It probably was. "This is how you really do it," she said, pulling his face into hers. But just as she was about to give him a kiss, he pulled away. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I like getting to know people before I kiss them," he said, face calming down. "Oh aren't you cute," she said, smirking. Before she could try again, Hunter walked off to join Takakura in the store.

Hunter found Takakura looking at a wide-range of blue feathers in glass cases, sitting on velvet cushions. "Those look similar to the one that dad gave me," he said to himself. There were all kinds of feathers. There were ones really big or really small. There were some that were thick and some were really light. There were very elegant ones and some cheap-looking ones. There were also many colors cushions. "Takakura, why are these feathers so special? I mean my dad sent one to me a few days ago," Hunter said, looking at the feathers. "Your father already bought you a Blue Feather? What color cushion was it on?" Takakura suddenly asked, finally looking at him. "Yeah, he did. It was kind of ruby-reddish. But why is it so special?" Hunter asked again. "A ruby red? Wow, your father must've spent a lot for that, it's supposed to cost 30,000G; that's the most expensive one of the bunch. Well saves me the money," Takakura said. "But why are they so special?" Hunter pressed on. "Do you need anything? I'll wait for you outside," Takakura grunted yet again, walking out of the store.

Hunter sighed took a look around the store. He pulled out his own Blue Feather and decided to compare it to the other feathers. Hunter noticed that his feather was different from the others. It was so blue yet had some light blue in it, like specks. It was so very full of color, that he couldn't describe it. "HEY, YOU SHOPLIFTER! Put that feather back! Don't you dare take that!" yelled the shopkeeper, walking towards him with a very angry expression on his face. "But I didn't-" Hunter started to protest until someone cut him off. "It's okay, Jeff. He already had one. It's his, he just pulled it out of his rucksack. I saw him," said a man with a purple bandana. The shopkeeper just walked away grumbling. "Hey, my name's Kai. You new here?" he questioned. "Uh, yea. I'm moving to Forget-Me-Not Valley to take up a farm," Hunter said, putting his feather back in his rucksack. "Forget-Me-Not Valley? That's just down the hill! Maybe I could visit you at your farm sometime?" Kai asked, eagerness all over his face. "Yeah, sure," Hunter answered, happy that he finally made a friend. "Well, I'd better be going. See ya around," he said waving good-bye to Kai.

"Okay, so a few things you need to know, there's a cow in the barn that needs naming and milking, there's a dog in your house that needs feeding, seeds that need planting, and townspeople that need greeting," said Takakura. Hunter's mouth dropped. "How about showing me around first?" he asked weakly. "Okay. Welcome to Oradell Farm" said Takakura, walking away. "Yeah, thanks for the help," muttered Hunter. He went into the barn and found a milky white cow with only one small, black spot on the middle of her forehead. He walked up to the cow and brushed it with the brush he found in the corner. "Hmmm….I wonder what to name you….how about Dot?" he asked, brushing her back. The cow merely blinked in reply. "Okaaaay, how about Betsy?" he asked again. This time the cow responded, she kicked Hunter in the groin. Hunter doubled over and let out a loud moan. "Definitely not Betsy, ow, how about…..Millie?" he tried. Hunter stepped away a little, for fear might get kicked again. But he didn't have to be scared this time because instead the cow gave a loud 'moo'. "Okay! Millie it is then," Hunter said happily. After he milked the cow and put her fodder inside the feeding box, he decided to go plant some seeds in the field. But when he went outside, he found that there were not one but three fields. One was pale-olive green, another was yellow-brownish, and the last one was rich brown. Hunter didn't know which one to plant the seeds in. "Maybe I'll plant one seed in each field and see which ones grow faster," Hunter said, taking out the seeds. "Whew, glad I got that done," he said, wiping his forehead. Just then, he felt something tugging on his jeans. When Hunter turned around, he saw that it was a floppy-eared dog. "Hey, little guy. You must be the dog Takakura was talking about. I think I'll name you Bandit, how about it?" Hunter asked, scratching the dog behind his ears. The dog barked happily and wagged his tail. "Well at least you're not as picky as Millie over there," he said, laughing as Bandit licked him all over the face.

"Helloooo? Yoohoo! Is anybody there?" a feminine voice called out. Hunter got up to see who it was. He saw a stunningly pretty girl. Hunter could only begin to describe her beauty. Golden-blonde hair that curled just right at the ends. Two emerald green eyes that shone so beautifully. Her face looked delicate and so very soft. She was also wearing a ruby red dress, lined with black laces. On top of that, she sported a baby blue sweater and wore black high-heels. "Hi! You must be the new farmer here, right?" she said walking towards him. Hunter also noticed the way she carried herself. It was like watching a model on a runway, but in slow motion. "Helloooo! Earth to new farmer! What's your name?" she asked, giggling as she waved her hand in his face. "Huh? Oh, yeah, my name's Hunter Samuels. I'm taking over my dad's farm," he said, shaking her hand. "Oh, your Old Sam's son. I'm sorry. Um, how are you dealing with it?" she asked, sympathy all over her face. "Uh…yea…I'm okay," said Hunter, looking down. There was an awkward silence. "Well let's not just stand here! I'll show you around, I bet you haven't met anyone yet have you? By the way, my name's Muffy!" she said, leading him out of the farm.

First, they came to a big hotel place. The inside was very oriental. There was a man monitoring the lobby. "Hello! New one I see. What's your name boy?" asked the man. "His name's Hunter! Isn't he sooo cute?" giggled Muffy, holding his arm. Hunter turned red. "Haha! Boy, you just got here and you're already wrangling up some girls! You've even beaten Rock's record!" exclaimed the innkeeper. "No-I'm not trying to-" Hunter started to protest. "Dude, he's only kidding, you can't really take my dad seriously," said a blonde guy, walking into the room scratching his head. "Well, anyways, my name is Tim. My wife Ruby and I run this inn. Oh, and this blondie over here is my son, Rock," said Tim. Hunter waved "hi" to all of them, except Rock who he shook hands with since he was right next to him. "I have a great idea! Why don't we throw Hunter a welcome party at Romana's villa?" suggested Ruby. "That's a great idea! I'll go tell Griffin to arrange drinks and Celia to get some veggies to cook! Oh, this is so exciting! See you later, Hunter!" squealed Muffy, excitedly running out of the inn. But at the last minute, Rock grabbed her arm and pulled her aside while Tim and Hunter conversed. "Muffy, what happened last night? I—" started Rock, question in his face. "Rock. I got to go. Bye," Muffy replied sharply, rushing away. Rock just scratched the side of his head and cocked an eyebrow.

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**Author's Note: Okay! So this is Chapter 3, where something suspicious is going on between Rock and Muffy. What is it you ask? Stick around for the next chapter, which is coming very soon! Oh, and a special thanks to those people who reviewed my fic!**

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